Essential Ski Gear

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Once you've decided which of North America's best ski resorts you're going to hit this winter, you'll need to make sure you have the best skis, poles, and gloves.

The Art of Skiing

A perfect turn carved on a powdery canvas is a momentary masterpiece, but the latest gear allows you to further express your style with the help of acclaimed artists. Carbon fiber and fiberglass wrapped around a hardwood core mean SkiLogik’s custom-made skis can handle any conditions. Italian artist Mariella then creates scenes with wood veneers and details like mother-of-pearl inlay (full custom skis, $1,300).

Poles are often an afterthought, but former U.S. Ski Team downhiller Bryon Friedman knows better. “Skiing is soulful,” he says, “and your poles should express that.” This season he launches Soul Poles, hand made from sustainable bamboo and mostly recycled materials (from $125). Acclaimed artist R. Nelson Parrish paints ski poles in the style of totem poles from his native Alaska. Schussers send him helmet cam footage, which he translates into an abstract work on three poles—the extra pole is for over the mantle ($1,000).

Touch Down

Ever notice how your smartphone’s touchscreen doesn’t work with gloves? That’s because when you tap, swipe, or pinch to text a friend, your bare finger actually completes an electrical circuit, sending electrical impulses from the screen to the processor. For snow riders, this all too often means you have to yank off your gloves and expose your digits to the elements.

But a new breed of leather and performance fabrics by TouchTec weaves nanotechnology into the mix so that your glove completes the circuit between you and the world of apps, photos, and music in your phone. Swany’s TouchTec X-Change keeps your hands toasty beneath waterproof soft shell nylon and Primaloft insulation ($110). Not only do the fingers in Spyder’s Conduct Overweb Gore-Tex gloves complete the circuit but soft sheepskin palms ensure you’ll keep your grip on phone and poles ($100). And Dakine’s Raptor gloves (seen here) make sure hands stay dry thanks to Gore-Tex inserts beneath Primaloft insulation; four-way stretch nylon guarantees a contoured fit ($85).